Grand Vin Wine Merchants UK | Blog

We are thrilled to be able to offer the legendary 100pt rated 1994 Taylors Vintage Port in ultra rare Magnum format. 1994 is the perfect Port drinker's vintage; mature yet still full of life… you can happily drink them now or a decade down the line. Our stock comes direct from Oporto where the Magnums have been stored in perfect conditions since 1994. The provenance is therefore impeccable and the Magnums are in immaculate condition. In addition to Magnums, we also have a few cases of regular 750ml bottles, again with Ex Domaine provenance. This really is a magical wine... and one can only imagine what a delight it would be to pop the cork and delight in a full glass on a Christmas morning, or at any memorable occasion. The anticipation... Our stock comes direct from Oporto where the bottles have been stored in perfect conditions since 1994. The provenance is therefore impeccable and the bottles are in immaculate condition. For many, Taylor’s is the archetypal P...

Chateau Canon has been on an incredible run of form in recent years and as a result is more popular than ever. Sadly, we can’t all justify drinking Chateau Canon on a daily basis, however their brilliant 2 nd  wine, ‘Croix Canon’, represents outstanding value for money. This is a wine that still remains under the radar of most consumers due to its rarity, so we are thrilled to have stocks of the brilliant 2016 vintage. We firmly believe Croix Canon is one of the best ‘second’ wines in Bordeaux. Calling it a ‘second’ wine is actually doing it a huge disservice. The wine is made with all the same loving care and attention as the Grand Vin, but comes mostly from a single parcel that is dedicated to the wine, along with some barrels that do not go into the Grand Vin. We tasted the wine recently and it was incredibly impressive, with beautiful purity and polished, ripe tannins. If it was served blind, you would be forgiven for thinking you were drinking the Grand Vin. We all need B...

Not so long ago, we had the privilege of joining Hubert de Billy, the great-great grandson of Pol Roger at Oswald's in Mayfair. The exclusive party was to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the champagne house and the 150th anniversary of Winston Churchill's birth. As you might expect, there were some beautiful wines on show, including their brand new  2018 Brut Vintage . This fine champagne house was founded in 1849 by Pol Roger at the tender age of eighteen. By 1855 he was already producing mostly Brut Champagne, a drier style that he knew the English preferred. This close relationship with England has remained strong ever since, and Pol Roger is perhaps best known as Winston Churchill's favourite champagne. The house remains family owned and has a reputation for producing champagnes of finesse and elegance which age very well. They are one of the few Grandes Marques to own a high percentage of their own vineyards. The 2018 vintage in champagne had perfect growing conditi...

With the warmer days of spring now upon us  it's high time to be stocking up on some delicious rosé. Over the last couple of years many of you have been enjoying the brilliant Provence rosé from  Michel Chapoutier  - his Chateau des Ferrages 'Mon Plaisir'. With roots dating back to 1808,   M. Chapoutier   is one of the oldest companies in the Rhône Valley. In pursuit of finding the best terroirs, Michel is always on the lookout for new areas and Provence was a natural step to expand beyond the Rhône Valley. Château des Ferrages is located in the villages of Pourcieux and Pourrières, halfway between Aix-en-Provence and Saint-Maximin, in the prime plots of the Sainte-Victoire appellation at the feet of Mount Aurélien. This location is indisputably the best area for rosé production in southern France, where the vineyards are protected by the Sainte-Victoire rocky mountains and cooled by the Mistral wind. This is a delicate, but in...

Every spring when we visit Bordeaux for the  en primeur  tastings, we enjoy the luxury of staying at our very own chateau in Cadillac de Bordeaux,  Château Carignan . We get to taste some excellent wines from across the Bordeaux region, but we always enjoy our own as well and  the 2019  Château Carignan  is no exception. It  stands up incredibly well in relation to more illustrious neighbours in and around  Bordeaux . The Grand Vin is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. We are always taken aback by the reaction we get when  Château Carignan  is served blind - it's seriously good value for a wine from the Right Bank. Intense dark red colour and brilliance. The nose is complex with a wide range of aromas. Long and fleshy mouth with a tannic structure, concentrated flavours of black fruit, cassis, blackberries, cocoa and spices and very well balanced in the mouth. The origin of Château Carignan dates back to the 11t...